Kadam

Kadam Buddhism is a Mahayana Buddhist school founded by the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha (982 - 1054). His followers are known as Kadampas: 'ka' means 'word' and refers to Buddha's teachings, and 'dam' refers to Atisha's special Lamrim instructions known as the stages of the path to enlightenment.

By integrating their knowledge of all Buddha's teachings into their practice of Lamrim, and by integrating this into their everyday life, Kadampa Buddhists are encouraged to use Buddha's teachings as practical methods for transforming daily activities into the path to enlightenment.

The great Kadampa teachers are to some, famous not only for being great scholars but also for being spiritual practitioners of immense purity and sincerity. The lineages of these teachings, both their scriptural transmission and realization, were then passed from teacher to disciple, and spread throughout much of Asia, and now to many countries throughout the western world. Buddha's teachings, which are known as Dharma, are likened, according to some adherents, to a wheel that moves from country to country in accordance with changing conditions and people's karmic inclinations.